Top cars to cut your carbon 'tyreprint' - Lists

Published Date: 16 October 2008
By ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT

WITH running costs rising and road tax now closely linked to engine emissions, choosing a car which minimises environmental impact while remaining practical and fun is not always a straightforward task.
However, help is at hand with the publication today of a guide to greener driving. The consumer group Which? has named Ford's latest supermini as the car of choice for drivers seeking to cut motoring costs. The Fiesta Econetic, which goes on sale at the end of the year, has won three accolades in the Which? guide – best value, lowest annual fuel bills and zero road tax. The new Fiesta range was also rated second to the Kia Cee'd as greenest in the £10,000-£15,000 price category.Ford's Focus range also fared well, being chosen as greenest in the £15,000-£20,000 category, and the greenest choice for a family of four, beating the Toyota Prius.The Fiesta Econetic produces 98g/km of , pipping the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, the previous front-runner, by 1g.Which? said the Econetic had "superb official economy stats and very low emissions".However, the group said its tests on available models put the Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet, Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D and VW Polo BlueMotion 1 as best for overall economy, at 60.1 mpg.The group said its top ten cars in this category were all diesels and advised high-mileage drivers they would save money by switching to diesel, despite the higher purchase cost compared to petrol models.Richard Headland, the guide's editor, said: "It's a win-win situation. Choosing a greener car will reduce your carbon tyreprint, cost less in road tax and you'll save money every time you fill up your car."

BEST OVERALL ECONOMY1= Fiat Panda 1.3 M'jet, Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D, VW Polo BlueMotion: 60.1mpg 2 Mini Clubman 1.6D: 58.8 mpg 3= Audi A3 1.9 TDIe, Mazda2 1.4D, VW Golf BlueMotion: 57.7mpg

BEST MOTORWAY ECONOMY1= Audi A3 1.9TDIe; Mini Clubman 1.6D Cooper; 54.3mpg 2 Vauxhall Corsa 1.3 CDTi 90: 52.3mpg 3 VW Golf BlueMotion: 51.4mpg 4 Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet: 50.4mpg

BEST TOWN ECONOMY1 Toyota Prius: 72.4mpg 2= Fiat 500 1.3 Multijet, Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D, VW Polo BlueMotion 1: 54.3mpg 3 Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet: 53.3mpg

CHEAPEST COMPANY CAR TAX (20 per cent taxpayer)1 Kia Picanto 1.0 5dr: £118 2 Hyundai i10 1.1 Classic: £130 3 Smart ForTwo 1.0: £136 4 Toyota Aygo 1.0 VVT-i 3dr: £138 5 Fiat Panda 1.3 Dynamic: £140

BEST FOR FAMILY OF FOUR1 Ford Focus2 Toyota Prius 3 Audi A3 4 Kia Cee'd 5 VW Golf BlueMotion

MOST FUN TO DRIVE1 Mini2 BMW 1 Series 3 Mazda24 Renault Clio 5 Ford Focus

BEST FOR A FAMILY OF FIVE OR MORE1 VW Golf Plus 2 Citroën C4 Grand Picasso 3 Seat Altea XL4 Renault Grand Modus5 Fiat Doblo

BEST VALUE1 Ford Fiesta Econetic2 Suzuki Splash3 Kia Cee'd4= Citroën C1; Peugeot 107; Toyota Aygo

BEST FOR COUPLES1 BMW 1 Series2 Audi A3 Cabriolet3 Mini Clubman4 Peugeot 207 CC5 Ford Fiesta